Is jogging ever good for a dog?

[Tommy Coyote]

Lots of people like to jog or run with their dogs. Is that really good for the dog? I'm not at all convinced that jogging or running is even good for the runner's joints and dogs don't have special running shoes to protect them.

 

I'm thinking that if you have someplace to run where you aren't on concrete or asphalt that it might not be too bad. But running for miles on a hard surface has to be hard on the dog.

 

Thoughts?

[Maralynn]

I think that in moderation, with a healthy adult dog, the benefits outweigh the risks. I mean playing ball and frisbee are common active dog activities and those certainly aren't risk free.

[G. Festerling]

Why would it not be? As long as it is not overdone it will condition the dog much safe than a lot of twisting and turning. Straight on good footing...

[Tommy Coyote]

I'm just thinking all that pounding down on cement over and over and over again. And what about what that cement is doing to the pads on their feet?

 

My dogs play all the time and run around for a long time but it's always on dirt and grass.

 

Some people brag about running with their dogs for 5 miles. That is really a long way.

 

I don't know the answer. I could be dead wrong.

[Oko]

I run five miles, sometimes six, at a time with my grown dog, most of it on dirt but some road. Sure it's wear on any body, but so is any activity.

[Maralynn]

I don't think a 5 mile jog/ run would be at all detrimental to a fit, active dog. Think about how far sled dogs will run in a day.

[Nanda & Nelson]

I'm just thinking all that pounding down on cement over and over and over again. And what about what that cement is doing to the pads on their feet?

 

My dogs play all the time and run around for a long time but it's always on dirt and grass.

 

Some people brag about running with their dogs for 5 miles. That is really a long way.

 

I don't know the answer. I could be dead wrong.

 

I run 5k's (8 miles) with Nelson and he loves it, he is pretty much dragging me across the streets. I let him set the pace, if he slows down, I'll slow down. I do try and run him on grass or have him wear padded boots on cement. We often run to the dog park and back so he gets to have fun and I get to have my exercise. We only do it a handful of times a month - it's not something we do everyday.

[Shelliannkramer]

Well I had asked the question about how much running is ok in a different post but didn't get an idea. My boy runs with me twice a week on dirt trails and he runs 5-6 miles. He sets the pace (which seems to be fast pretty much the whole time). I love running with him since I taught him to be off leash and on voice command and he seems to love it too. He is so good only running about 15-20 feet ahead and often looking back to check in with me.

[Liz P]

Built up gradually, a Border Collie can literally run all day. I've taken mine on 18+ mile bike rides (dogs were running on grass!!!) and they've still wanted to pay fetch after. I used to run mine on a dog sledding team and 10 miles was a fun run for them. Remember, they were not only running, but pulling. Some have used them in distance races, covering upwards of 100 miles in a day. It's the pounding on pavement that's damaging, and pushing a dog too hard, too fast.

[alligande]

I have run with Rievaulx since he was 14 months, we started together with a program called couch to 5k and trained for a half marathon together last year.

There has never been problem with his pads. 5 miles is nothing to a fit dog, remember how much distance they cover if they are off leash and you walk 3 miles.

The other thing to consider is that there is a movement in running towards minimal shoes, humans don't need all that padding to protect our joints to run on pavement, we just like it. My husband ran a half marathon with a true barefoot runner, can only imagine how thick their soles are.

I watch how much stress Rievaulx puts his body under playing any type of fetch, or just running around with another dog, makes running with his middle aged human look easy.

[gcv-border]

 

The other thing to consider is that there is a movement in running towards minimal shoes, humans don't need all that padding to protect our joints to run on pavement, we just like it. My husband ran a half marathon with a true barefoot runner, can only imagine how thick their soles are.

 

 

I like the trend toward athletic shoes that are less structured. They are marketed as 'as close to barefoot' as possible. I have a pair (NOT the ones with the toes though -- eeuw) that are extremely comfortable. Having said that, I do not want to go the next step to barefoot. I do not want tough 'pads' on the bottom of my feet.

 

Sorry, off topic. Back to your regular programming now.

 

Jovi

[Jescano]

I like the trend toward athletic shoes that are less structured. They are marketed as 'as close to barefoot' as possible. I have a pair (NOT the ones with the toes though -- eeuw) that are extremely comfortable. Having said that, I do not want to go the next step to barefoot. I do not want tough 'pads' on the bottom of my feet.

Sorry, off topic. Back to your regular programming now.

Lol, during the summer I run all day on the beach at work, barefoot. And I do actually have a pair of the vibram five finger shoes to run in. There's a lot of people who believe that running barefoot or as close to it as you can is actually better for joints and everything else as it makes them work the way they are designed to function. So with that thinking dogs are at an advantage, they are kinda designed to run. And they enjoy doing it. I wish I enjoyed doing it.

 

Running on concrete isn't exactly good for people either...

[mum24dog]

I run 5k's (8 miles) with Nelson

5 miles would be 8km. 5km is only about 3 miles.

[Smalahundur]

Well I don´t jog, but I do submit my dog to the annual sheep roud up in the surronding hills, that is working all day long, sometimes a couple in a row on very rough, rocky terrain. I make sure she is trained enough, and her pads have been conditioned because she accompanies me when I go riding, all spring and summer; lots of kilometers on gravel roads. No problems so far (knock on wood).

I would put it this way, If my dog could not run any human into the ground , I would have no use for her.

(excluding under high temperature/humid conditions, but hey I live in Iceland)

[Tommy Coyote]

Like Liz says, border collies can run forever. And they may love to go. And have a great time.

 

But what is all that pounding doing to their joints? I'm mainly concerned with running on pavement or concrete - not grass and dirt.

 

A lot of the working dogs go all day on rough terrain. But then they are retired by the time they are 8. That's really pretty young.

[mum24dog]

I see people running with their dogs all the time. Rarely do the dogs break into anything more than a moderate trot, if that, and that's the way it should be. I'd be worried about the dog if it was an effort to keep up with a human.

[simba]

Jogging isn't necessarily good for the runner's joints, but it's certainly good for their heart. And there are lots of elderly joggers out there who've run on hard surfaces all their lives, and whose joints aren't much worse than those around them. There is some suggestion that the increased risk of joint problems may be caused by the increased risk of joint injuries in joggers, rather than the jogging/ hard surfaces impact directly.

 

For most people, and most dogs, I'd say jogging would probably be an overall improvement- yes, bad for the joints, but good for the mind and the cardiovascular system. It's all a question of balance. Although, of course, it would probably be better to choose a lower-impact alternative.

 

If you have a fit dog who's constantly kept well-conditioned through steady exercise, including jogging, I'd wonder whether that dog could be less at risk of arthritis than an ill-conditioned dog who plays exuberant games of fetch and has more minor injuries. Or an overweight dog.

 

Hard to say without hard evidence.

[alligande]

As a new runner who has not ridden a bike in decades because of bad knees, that started when I was 18. I have found my overall pain has decreased as the muscles have strengthened. I even rode a bike this summer, and when I rode last year had no pain from a rising trot. And I don't come to this from no exercise, I have swam, lifted, used rowing/elliptical machines nothing has provided me with the type of joint stability that running has. it's all about being careful and not pushing beyond your limitations that's when things hurt. Oh and finding the right foot wear for flat feet.

My running partner never breaks a trot, he is really not running or at least not what a border collie thinks is a run. I don't overly protect my own body and my dog has no respect for his, and if I am going to go for a run it seems a shame to leave the dog behind, running with a dog makes it so much more worthwhile.

[diane allen]

FWIW, Dr. Chris Zink (highly respected canine sports doc) does recommend trotting as *one* means of exercising and keeping dogs fit. She uses a little motorized scooter.

 

I would happy if *I* could run a few miles, but would definitely not run dogs on asphalt, concrete, etc. That simply can't be good for dogs' joints, long term. Otherwise - go for it, you fitter-than-I folks!

 

diane

[mum24dog]

Like Liz says, border collies can run forever. And they may love to go. And have a great time.

 

But what is all that pounding doing to their joints? I'm mainly concerned with running on pavement or concrete - not grass and dirt.

 

A lot of the working dogs go all day on rough terrain. But then they are retired by the time they are 8. That's really pretty young.

From a human pov, although I am 50% overweight and have never done any real running my peers who are currently having replacement hips and knees are those who aren't overweight but have run in one form or another most of their lives while my joints are absolutely fine.

 

And it often seems to me to be the dogs that have not been exercised hard that stay fit and active longer.

 

Too much exercise can be as harmful as too little. Our bodies have to last a lifetime so best to pace our use of them IMO.

[Liz P]

I don't think such a small sample size is a fair way to make that judgement.

 

I ran a bunch of dogs on my sled team. One was hard on his body and ran for miles and miles and miles every day, jumped through the air to catch frisbees, did agility and flyball too, etc. Just months before dying of cancer at 11.5 he was easily running 10+ miles and ready to do more. His joints looked great. Not a bit of arthritis. Another dog had a shoulder injury, but despite luxating patellas and mild HD was also fairly spry until cancer got him at 11.5 years old. My current senior in the household was worked much less in her lifetime, but she is quite arthritic. She was stupid about her body.

 

Running on pavement is not natural. Trotting on dirt and grass is, though anything can be overdone.

[mum24dog]

I don't think such a small sample size is a fair way to make that judgement.

Of course not, but until my personal experience tells me otherwise I'm willing to take it at face value.

[Smalahundur]

 

 

Too much exercise can be as harmful as too little. Our bodies have to last a lifetime so best to pace our use of them IMO.

"too much" of anything is of course not good.

But the average citizen of the western world does really not have to worry about too much exercise.....

[GentleLake]

My current senior in the household was worked much less in her lifetime, but she is quite arthritic. She was stupid about her body.

 

Are you suggesting that a dog (talk about a small sample!) being "stupid about her body" (whatever that means) caused her arthritis?

 

Seriously?

 

ETA: I have a hard time believing it's that simple.

[Liz P]

Well, I would consider arthritis secondary to injuries to be the result of her total lack of self preservation.